D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 81

Promo Blitz ~ Killer Pursuit by @jeffgunhus #thriller

Thriller
Date Published: January 18, 2016

When a secret webcam is found in the Georgetown bedroom of a murdered high-society call girl, everyone in Washington, DC wants the recording…especially the killer. 

After a high-society call girl is brutally murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is a webcam with an encrypted connection…and no-one knows who’s on the other end. Whoever has the recordings has embarrassing leverage against some of the most powerful men in DC, not to mention a video of the murder showing the identity of the killer.

FBI Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder because of the murder’s similarity to a case she worked a year earlier. Allison knows the most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but rumors that the victim’s client list may include some of Washington’s most powerful men makes her doubt the director’s motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she’s not the only one pursuing the recording…but that the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.

About the Author

Jeff Gunhus is the author thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 100 on Amazon and have been Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists.

After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.


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When is the best time to publish a book? #MondayBlogs #amwriting

My latest novel, Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker, is arriving on virtual bookshelves today. It seems like the perfect moment to discuss timing and book launches. I never thought anything about the best time to publish a book before I released my first book. I released Unforeseen Consequences in August – smack dab in the middle of school vacations. I blamed the lackluster sales on the vacation season. I’ve since learned to be more honest with myself and admit that the lack of sales had little to do with the release date. And then I promptly forgot all about release dates and just went about publishing book after book. Until Molly’s Misadventures was released mid-January. I did everything right – cover reveals, blog tours, reviews, etc. – but the initial sales were extremely disappointing especially in comparison with my previous books.

Where did I go wrong? At first I worried about the general appeal of the book. Although the book got some great reviews (and even an awesome review or two), it wasn’t selling. I decided to market the daylights out of the book and signed up for several newsletter advertisements. And guess what? The book sells well (in comparison to my other books. It’s not like I’m a New York Times bestseller or anything.)

I came to the conclusion that mid-January is really not a good time to release a new book. But is that really the truth? I headed to the Internet to search the topic and got hit with a lot of conflicting advice. However, two themes appear to be generally accepted.

People don’t buy eBooks as presents. Although my books are also available in paperback, the vast majority of my sales are eBooks. In fact, I’m pretty sure only my family are buying the paperbacks (truth be told – I actually buy the paperbacks for my immediate family). If you’re also selling predominately eBooks, you may want to re-consider a December release date. People are busy being merry and drinking eggnog, not reading eBooks. And if they aren’t buying eBooks for presents, there’s no reason to release your book in the pre-Christmas season.

January sales slump. I’m well aware of this phenomena. I just didn’t think about it when figuring out when to release my book. When I finish a book, I’m excited to get that thing into readers’ hands. I calculate how much time my editor needs and when I can book marketing events like blog tours and pick my release date based on these calculations. I really have no reason to complain then when my book sales are less than stellar in January – the month known to all retailers as a slump month.

Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Does it matter if the sales come upon the initial release or two months later? Sales are sales, right? That’s true, but it’s very discouraging for an indie writer to produce a book and watch nothing happen. Even though I don’t make enough money to live on my writing, it’s still a punch to the gut to watch sales flat line.

What do other writers think? When’s the best time to release a new novel?

#Bookreview ~ Released by @JusAccardo #paranormalromance

Title: Released

Author: Jus Accardo

Published: March 28, 2016

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

~ Synopsis ~

Jax Flynn’s life just went from bad to worse. He was already sharing his body with a demon named Azirak, but after killing its mate… Well, shit got real. Now the demon has taken control of Jax’s body and everything he cares for is at stake, including Samantha, the girl he loves. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. It’s time Jax showed everyone what he was really made of.

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Kobo

~ Book Review~

I made a bit of a boo-boo when I agreed to review this book. I hadn’t read any of the previous novels in the series and I just dove head-first into this one. I felt like I was arriving in the middle of a show, but things quickly became clear. Although the book is probably more enjoyable if you’ve read the previous stories in the series, Accardo did a good job of filling in any necessary details to the story. In fact, I found the action at times at bit slow. If I wasn’t playing catch-up, I might have been tempted to skip ahead.

I really liked the dual aspect of Azirak and Jax. It was quite different and interesting to read. This was in fact my favorite part of the novel. Of course, I loved Jax. How can anyone not love Jax? I liked Samantha as well. Her character was very real. So much so that I yelled at her through my Kindle a few times. Yeah, she didn’t listen.

I liked how the ending tied everything up in a neat little bow. I pretty much had it figured out, but the ending was well-written and exciting to read anyway.

~ Excerpt ~

“We need to get something straight,” Sam said, changing lanes to pass the car in front of us. “That shit you pulled back at Kelly’s? That can’t happen again.” Irritation surged in Azi, but more than that, confusion. It genuinely didn’t understand what she was pissed about. “You chastise me for protecting you?”

“Damn right,” she snapped. “Because no matter what you say, that’s Jax’s body you’re temporarily squatting in. He has to live with the fallout after I find a way to evict your ass. Besides, that’s not what that was all about anyway.”

“Oh?” The demon’s irritation turned to amusement. It didn’t bother correcting her on the temporarily bit. Azi had me locked down tight and wasn’t the least bit concerned about her—or me—turning the tables. And even though I had complete faith in Sam—if there was a way to fix this, she’d find it—even I had to admit I was pretty much fucked.

“You’re the equivalent of a demonic spoiled brat. Any time you don’t get what you want, you throw a fit. That doesn’t work in this world, buddy. You need a little more self-control if you want to pretend to be a real boy.”

I worried the demon’s temper would flare, but instead of anger, I felt a swell of admiration from it. “You know what I am,” Azi said. It shifted around in the seat so that I was facing her. “You know what I am capable of. And yet you still speak to me as you would a lowly human?”

“Lowly human?” She shook her head and stomped on the gas. Kelly’s Explorer surged forward. I cringed internally. I’d seen Sam drive angry. It wasn’t a pretty sight. “No, no. You’re totally misunderstanding me. I’m speaking to you as I would an asshat.”

 

~ About the Author ~

Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.  When not writing, Jus can be found volunteering at the local animal shelter or indulging her passion for food.  After being accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, she passed on the spot to pursue a career in writing and has never looked back.  As far as she’s concerned, she has the coolest job on earth—making stuff up for a living.

Contact Information

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Blog ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

 

 

 

Spring in Snow Valley Anthology #bookreview

Title: Spring in Snow Valley Anthology

Content Warning: Clean

~ Synopsis ~

Operation—Kiss the Girl, Cindy Roland Anderson

Ivy Baker is doomed to marry a man she only pretends to be in love with to save the family ranch. Since she isn’t marrying for love, Ivy secretly creates a kissing wish list composed of scenes from the romance books she loves to read. She hopes to experience at least one kiss from her list before she becomes officially engaged and seals her fate. When she travels to Snow Valley to help her aunt recover from knee surgery, Ivy finds herself falling for Kellen Thomas, an irresistible cowboy she should avoid. By chance Kellen finds Ivy’s list, and decides to make it his mission to help her fulfill her bucket list, turning her world upside down and making Ivy want to choose her heart over duty.

Love Coming Late, Jeanette Lewis

Cynthia Eddington never thought she’d return to Snow Valley after a string of bad luck forced the sale of her beloved farm there. But here she is, about to start a new life with her children, Jackson and Anoria. Cynthia plans to focus on her career and her family; she’s not looking for romance and she’s definitely not looking for sexy cowboy, Colby Schroder.

Running from the Cowboy, Cami Checketts

Missy Horman escaped an abusive marriage and returns to Snow Valley to help her father deal with her emotionally disturbed mother. Volunteering to teach a youth Sunday school class seems like a good way to get out of her comfort zone—until she ends up kissing Porter Wilson in front of a bunch of teenagers. Embarrassed, and secretly thrilled, by the kiss, she writes Porter off as a playboy. But, Missy wasn’t the only one affected and Porter’s new mission in life is to prove that there’s more to him than flirting and world-tilting kisses. He wants to show her that a true cowboy knows how to treat a lady and, if Missy can’t keep her wits about her, she might just let him.

The Bet, Taylor Hart

When Destiny Morningstar gets blackmailed into spending her spring break in Snow Valley, the last thing she’s looking for is a date, especially not with Adam and Chase Moon—two attractive and athletic brothers. But soon she finds herself tangled up in a dating spree that includes a flag football game, swinging around the barn dance, and hiking to Snow Valley’s romantic hot springs with the town’s most eligible bachelors. At every turn she’s within kissing distance of one of the delectable Moon men. When she discovers she’s been part of some bet fueled by sibling rivalry and overactive egos she has to make a decision—forgive them both or miss out on the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kimberley Montpetit

Jessica Mason and Pastor James are struggling to make their long-distance relationship work between Snow Valley and New Orleans where Jessica dances with the local ballet company. When April Murphy, a war widow with a child, shows up in Snow Valley, James reluctantly begins to wonder if he and Jessica are really meant to be. April would make the perfect pastor’s wife and he’d have an instant family and the stability he craves. But he can’t get the spitfire Jessica out of his mind and when she returns to Snow Valley to accept an inheritance, her male ballet partner in tow, the love triangle takes on a new edge. Can Jessica and James figure out how to create a family while living in two different states—or do they allow their hearts to move on and forget the passion they once shared?

Romancing a Husband, Lucy McConnell

Natalie Lawson is at a crossroads. Her husband is down on his luck and some days he’s just plain down while Natalie is moving forward, gaining promotions and starting new adventures. In some ways, they’ve grown apart and Natalie can’t help but wonder if her path through life will always include Eli. When tragedy throws them together, Natalie learns a profound lesson that may save her marriage and provide the key to romancing a husband.

Amazon

~ Book Review~

What a fun idea for an anthology! Each book in the anthology takes place in Snow Valley and many of the characters appear in several of the stories. As a lover of series, the idea appealed to me. All of the stories were clean reads and religion featured prominently in many of the stories. If you are looking for super sweet reads, this may be the anthology for you.

Operation Kiss the Girl was a DNF for me. Although I’m perfectly happy to read clean reads once in a while, this novel was too squeaky clean for me. I had a hard time believing a soldier turned cowboy could be this innocent. I was in the military and am too familiar with soldiers to find Kellen a believable character.

Love Coming Late is a short and sweet read, which you can finish in an afternoon. I love a story with an older heroine, but I was disappointed in Cynthia. She’s a total scaredy-cat. And her daughter – Anoria? Wow! I didn’t think much of her at all.

Running from the Cowboy was cute and sweet. There were quite a few names to slog through, but otherwise I enjoyed this story. Religion plays prominently in this story as well.

The Bet involves a set of brothers competing for one girl. I’m not really a fan of love triangles or men competing for a girl. I did like Chase Moon, though. And his grand gesture was super sweet.

Sealed with a kiss was a difficult read for me. I get really annoyed with characters when they don’t talk to each other. Misunderstandings due to a lack of communication make me want to throw my kindle across the living room.

Romancing a Husband was my favorite story. It was realistic and heartwarming. I love stories, which feature couples older than thirty. After all, the vast majority of people on the earth are older than that – as am I.

 

Excerpt of Harry Starke by @bcwhoward #mystery #giveaway

Title: Harry Starke

Author: Blair Howard

Published: September 7, 2015

Genre: Mystery

~ Synopsis ~

Harry Starke is the first novel in the Harry Starke series of murder mysteries.

Why Did Tabitha Willard Throw Herself off the Walnut Street Bridge?

It’s almost midnight, bitterly cold, snowing, when a beautiful young girl, Tabitha Willard, throws herself off the Walnut Street Bridge into the icy waters of the Tennessee. Harry Starke is there, on the bridge. Wrong time, wrong place? Maybe. He tries, but is unable to stop her. Thus begins a series of events and an investigation that involves a local United States congressman, a senior lady senator from Boston, a local crime boss, several very nasty individuals, sex, extortion, high finance, corruption, and three murders. Harry has to work his way through a web of deceit and corruption until finally…. Well, as always, there’s a twist in the tale, several in fact….

Harry Starke is a hard-boiled private detective, an ex-cop, a tough guy from right side of the tracks with finely tuned senses, good instincts, and friends in high places. He’s single, successful, well educated, and yes, he will hurt you if he needs to.

Amazon

~ Excerpt ~
“So, whaddaya want, Starke?”

Phuttt. The seat cushion almost exploded as he dropped his fat ass down into the chair behind his desk and ran his fingers through his greasy brown hair.

I sat down in the only other chair in the room, one of those steel-framed folding things.

“You been to bed yet, Benny? You look like shit.”

“Yeah, well. I got lots to do, and no time to do it. I’ll maybe take a nap when Lorie gets here. Nothin’ much happens till after ten, as you well know. Come on, Starke. Spill it. What do you want?”

“I was in here last night, Benny. Remember?”

He nodded. “How could I forget?”

“Do you remember the girl in the black dress and white coat?”

“Come on, Harry. There were lots of girls in here last night. You know that. You were here, for God’s sake. The place was packed.”

“Yeah, I was here. And so were you. This was around midnight. She had dark red hair and an expensive white coat. She was with a couple of brothers. Nasty-looking types.”

“Oh yeah, I remember her. Who wouldn’t? She was hot.”


“Yeah, well, she’s not so hot now. She’s pretty cold. She’s dead. What do you know about her?”
“Dead? Dead? How? I don’t know nothin’, not a thing. I ain’t never seen her before. Who killed her?”

“Nobody killed her, Benny. She threw herself off the bridge. So. What about the brothers?”

“Killed herself, huh? Wow! Um….” He hesitated. “Nothing. I ain’t never seen ‘em before either.” He looked away as he said it.

I said nothing. I just sat there and watched his face.

“What?” he said, when he had gathered up enough courage to look me in the eyes again.

“You’re about as transparent as that window, Benny. Maybe more so. It’s filthy. Now tell me the truth.”

“Screw you, Starke. I don’t have tell you nothin’. Get the hell out of my office, and stay outta the bar, too.”



~ About the Author ~

Blair Howard is from a small town in England, near Stratford-upon-Avon, on the edge of the English Cotswolds. He is Kentucky Colonel, an honor bestowed upon him in 2008 by the then Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Steven L. Beshear. Until 2015, he wrote sweeping historical epics, and is the author of five historical novels. In July of 2015 he decided to try his hand at writing mystery novels, thus we have Harry Starke. The first in the series, Harry Starke, was released in mid-September 2015. The second novel, Two for the Money, was released October 19 the same year, Hill House, in mid-December 2015, and Checkmate in February 2016, and there are more to come.

Blair is the author of more than 40 books, including the Harry Starke series and five novels of the American Civil War. More than 4,500 magazine, newspaper, and web articles. His work has appeared in many national and international publications, including Delta’s Sky Magazine, PHOTOgraphic magazine, The Mail on Sunday, The Walking Magazine, Petersen’s Hunting Magazine, The Boston Herald, The Detroit Free-Press, The Anchorage Times and many more.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Blog ~ Amazon Author Page

~ Giveaway ~

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to stalk bloggers for reviews #bookreview

Gosh, I’m exhausted! Trying to find bloggers, people, anyone to review my upcoming book is tiring, to say the least. I wrote about finding reviewers earlier (see my blog post here). In that post I kept things general – a list of where to look and definitely where not to look for reviews. I advised writers to contact bloggers directly. I still stand by that advice, but there must be a better method than cold emailing hundreds of book bloggers. There is! You can find book bloggers who may already be interested in your book by using my somewhat ‘stalkerish’ methods for finding reviewers.

Goodreads. I contact bloggers who mark my book ‘to read’ on Goodreads. Often, they’ve only marked the book ‘to read’ as an entry to some giveaway I’m doing. No matter. It’s worth a try. You might also consider contacting ‘normal’ people (readers who don’t have blogs) as well. Although your review won’t be on a blog, it will be on Amazon and Goodreads. Let’s face it. It’s those Amazon reviews we want, isn’t it?
Comments. When my book is spotlighted on a blog, whether as part of a blog tour or otherwise, I’ll keep track of comments and contact any bloggers who are positive about the book. Total stalker move.
Likes. In addition to anyone who actually comments on a spotlight post, I’ll also look at the likes and contact any book bloggers who ‘liked’ the post. Another total stalker move.
Previous reviewers. Here’s where the vast amount of work comes in. I try to contact absolutely everyone who has read and reviewed a previous book of mine. This includes bloggers who read the book as part of a blog tour. There are many bloggers who do not want to review books outside of blog tours, but if they have already reviewed a book of yours, they are often willing to work directly with you.

After you’ve done the above for a book or two, you should have a list of bloggers who’ve read and reviewed more than one of your books and are willing to work directly with you on a regular basis. This should be your core list of reviewers. Covet those reviewers like the gems they are!

No matter how you find the blogger, using one of my methods or one of your own, make sure you research the reviewer before sending the review request. Is she still taking reviews? Does she only read romance, but you’ve just written a mystery? Is she still blogging? The other day, I received a message via Goodreads asking me if I review books. Do I review books? Um, if the writer had spent more than a minute on my website, she would have not only seen my previous reviews but my review policy as well. If she can’t spend a minute on my website researching me and my blog, then why should I spend a few hours reading her book and writing a review?

Feel free to share your methods for finding bloggers in the comments.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me #LOL

Last year I finally got my lazy butt in gear and migrated my blog to an actual blogging platform. I have no idea why I didn’t start on that way. I’m no programmer and I’m pretty sure my old website is the proof of that. The downside of having migrated my website is a lot of content was lost. I’ve decided to go through the old content and post some of my favorite blog posts again. This blog post is one of my favorites.

1. I often sing out loud while running on the treadmill in the gym. I try to check if anyone else is in the room but there’s a lot of equipment to peak around and so it isn’t unusual for me to get stares as I start to belt out some song. Since I live in Istanbul, I just assume no one knows what I’m singing and therefore I don’t need to be embarrassed about my song choices. Hey! It’s about getting the blood pumping, people.

2. Sticking with this running idea, I’ve completed a full-length marathon but I finished dead last. Like they literally waited for me to finish and then started tearing down the finish line. My mother-in-law claims I wasn’t last as there were tons of runners that dropped out of the race. I don’t really know if that counts but I’m going to agree with my mother-in-law for this one and only time.

3. I know everyone is curious about this one but I’m only going to say this: Yes, I spent the night in jail. No, it wasn’t my fault. Yes, there was fighting and bloodshed. Enough said.

4. I am terrified, okay it’s more like a phobia, of snakes. Seriously, I can’t even watch them on television. I have to cover my eyes. My husband has to keep me informed when I can and cannot look. This job did not involve copious amounts of me hitting my husband when he screwed up – really it didn’t. Ugh. I’m getting the chills just typing the word snakes. *Shudders*

5. I was convinced as a child that sharks were somehow going to magically appear in swimming pools and was afraid to swim alone. Okay, I still sometimes get scared when I’m a big pool all by myself. Don’t ask me how the sharks are going to suddenly appear – it’s just magic. The sad thing is I’ve never even seen Jaws.

6. I have a very slight case of OCD. I’ve managed to learn how to (mostly) deal with it as an adult even though I do drive the hubby nuts with checking for keys, passport, tickets, etc. a gazillion times before I’ll get my butt out the door. When I was at university, it was a more embarrassing story. An example? I’d get up in the middle of the night (more than once) and run to the parking lot under the dorms in my pajamas to check that I hadn’t left my car headlights on. You’d think that after the first time, I’d realize the lights were off. Apparently not.

7. Although I fancy myself the next Serena Williams, I’m actually a very clumsy tennis player. I often wake up the day after a match with bruises on my left arm (I’m right-handed) because I whacked myself in the arm instead of hitting the ball. In my world, tennis is a full contact sport.

8. Anyone who has met me in person will know this one – I’m a potty mouth and not just a little bit. My husband jokes that when I go into a bar frequented by sailors, the sailors run outside blushing. I try to tame my naughty mouth but that just means I swear in foreign languages, which I hope no one understands. My tennis partner patiently explained to me that Turkish people do know what the word f*ck is. (It seems I like to yell that out loud when I miss a ball – how odd.)

9. Another one most people who have met me will know – I’m a complete nerd. Like, totally and undeniably nerdsville. Case in point – when I was in elementary school I thought the eye test was really a test and not a vision check. I memorized the entire eye chart to make sure I ‘passed’. Only when a teacher overheard me bragging about knowing the chart frontwards and backwards was it discovered that I have really bad vision (which explains the ridiculous amounts of stitches I had as a child from running into things).

10. I’m a bit of a control freak. Yeah, only a bit because it’s possible to be a control freak part-time (sarcasm intended). I can’t stand being in a car driven by someone else. The only reason I handle taxi rides in Istanbul so well is because they’re really carnival rides. I’m serious. Driving way over the speed limit in a car with bald tires while passing on the right from the emergency lane is not driving. Traffic signs in Istanbul are advisory only.

Guest Post by @katedyerseeley ~ Author of Silenced in the Surf #cozymystery

Welcome to my tour stop for Silenced in the Surf by Kate Dyer-Seeley! This is book three in the Pacific Northwest Mystery series and released March 29th, 2016.

The tour runs April 4-15 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

~ Guest Post ~ 

Meet Meg Reed. Meg is a reporter for Northwest Extreme magazine, one of the biggest adventure publications in the world. She’s spunky and willing to do just about anything for her job, however she’s a bit of a klutz, terrified of heights, and not exactly the most athletic reporter on the team. She prefers all things pink, vintage fashion, and delectable artisan coffee and microbrew to outdoor pursuits.

After two assignments that sent her out into the rugged Oregon forest and the high alpine slopes of Mt. Hood Meg is ready for something new. When she learns that King of the Hook, an international windsurfing competition, is taking place in nearby Hood River, Oregon she jumps at the chance to head out to the charming and windy city.

Her plan is simple. She packs a retro Grace Kelly inspired swimsuit, cute pink rashguards and her pencil and notepad. She thinks that she’ll find a shady spot on the sandy shores of the Columbia River and watch all the action with an iced double mocha.

At first things go according to plan. Meg dons a floppy sun hat and clicks photos of windsurfers and kite boarders catching big air. Their bright colored sails dot the water as they perform killer stunts. Meg can’t believe that she has a front row seat to their high-flying tricks.

Then things take a turn for the worse. Meg has to get on a windsurfing board. Sure, swimming might be her sport, but lifting the heavy mast proves more challenging than Meg could imagine. As does trying to balance on the choppy water. Hood River is notorious for its high winds and deadly surf. In fact it’s known as one of the windiest places on the planet with huge winds that funnel down the Columbia River Gorge.

Just as Meg finally raises the mast and takes a minute to celebrate her success the wind kicks up and carries her into the middle of the river where the current is strong and the waves are unrelenting. She’s going to have to find her way back to shore and stay out of the way of the body that’s bobbing nearby.

Thanks so much for having me on the blog today. I hope readers have fun on the high surf with Meg and don’t get blown away.

Happy reading!

~ About the Book ~

Covering a windsurfing competition should have been a breeze for reporter Meg Reed, but with a killer in the curl, she’s headed for rough waters…

Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge is the windsurfing capital of the world, and Meg is stoked to cover the King of the Hook event for Portland’s Northwest Extreme magazine. Before the competition gets under way, Meg has a chance to try some windsurfing on her own. But when the current sweeps her downriver, she spots a body snagged on the rocks. The dead man is Justin Cruise, aka Cruise Control, a celebrity windsurfer and not exactly a nice guy. It’s soon clear his death was no accident, and Cruise had no shortage of enemies. As Meg dives right in to discover who wiped out the windsurfer, she’ll need to keep her balance–or she too may get blown away.

Praise For Scene Of The Climb“A splendid overview of the greater Portland and Columbia River Gorge region, perfect for travel buffs. Her protagonist shows promise with her determined attitude and moxie.” –Library Journal

“A fun, terrific adventure.” —Suspense Magazine

Includes Adventure Guides!

Goodreads |  Amazon | B&N

 

Don’t miss out on the first two books, Scene of the Climb and Slayed on the Slopes!

~ About the Author ~

Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series for Kensington Publishing. The first book in the series, Scene of the Climb, features the rugged landscapes of the Columbia River Gorge and a young journalist who bills herself as an intrepid adventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme.

Her work has appeared in a variety of regional and international publications including: The Columbian, The Vancouver Voice, Seattle Backpacker, Portland Family Magazine, and Climbing Magazine.

Kate lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—at all three.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

***

~ GIVEAWAY ~
Signed copies of Scene of the Climb, Slayed on the Slopes and Silenced in the Surf, pink water bottle, Organic Clif bars, Sunscreen, Chapstick, Pink sunglasses & Gourmet lemonade.
Open to US addresses only.
Ends April 20, 2016

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

My Name is Sarah Armstrong by Judith Turner

Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you Judith Turner’s MY NAME IS SARAH ARMSTRONG Book Blast March 28 – April 8!

Inside the Book:

Title: My Name is Sarah Armstrong

Author: Judith Turner

Publisher: iUniverse

Genre: Family Life

Format: Ebook/Paperback

It is 1958 when fourteen-year-old Sarah Armstrong first writes in her journal about her role model, Margaret MacAuley, who survived a dangerous journey with her immigrant family in 1856 to join the Mormon Church in Utah. As Sarah continues to mature in Salt Lake City, she must face important choices after her father decides to leave the Mormon Church.

Shunned by her extended family and the Mormon community, Sarah struggles between the influences of her controlling father and a fundamentalist church. After a popular and influential teacher notices her plight and steers her toward academic success, Sarah begins to dream about going away to college and leaving a place she feels she no longer belongs. Unfortunately, her pursuit of independence causes more friction in the family. While Sarah attempts to balance conflicts, she must find a way to be a good daughter while remaining true to herself as a young woman. But as she is about to discover, it is a difficult path to navigate amid societal expectations of 1950s women.

My Name Is Sarah Armstrong shares the tale of a young woman’s coming-of-age journey as she attempts to find her place in the shadow of the Mormon Church.

ORDER INFORMATION

My Name is Sarah Armstrong is available for order at

Meet the Author:

Judith Turner is a former English/Writing teacher with the Los Angeles County School District. She currently resides in Southern California where she enjoys reading, travel, tennis, and visiting with her grandchildren. My Name Is Sarah Armstrong is her first book.

Giveaway
Judith is giving away a $25 Gift Card!
Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
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How to make a book launching marketing plan #MarketingTools #amwriting

I’m a huge fan of streamlining work. This was a major problem when I was working as an attorney and had to account for every freaking minute I worked, but that’s not what you’re here to read about. When I first started self-publishing, I did a ton of research on marketing and launching my book. Okay, that’s a lie. With my first novel, I pushed the ‘publish’ button and sat back and waited for the sales to roll in. Obviously, that isn’t what happened. With my next project, I hit the internet and started researching. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t impressed with most of the marketing plans I managed to find. They were often too theoretical. And many suggestions for marketing just don’t work for me – a writer living in a country whose inhabitants doesn’t speak the language in which I write.

Over the years, I’ve developed my own marketing plan. I usually take two weeks off of writing once I have a completed manuscript. These two weeks are used exclusively for marketing. What do I do during those two weeks? Here’s my plan:

Book Launch Marketing Plan

When?
What?
With whom?
Comments


At least 2 weeks prior to publish date (book should be available on pre-order)
Pre-Release Blitz or Cover Reveal
Tour Company
How many pre-orders?

How many readers marked the book ‘to read’ on Goodreads?


Newsletter
MailChimp
Reduce pre-release price as incentive for newsletter subscribers


As soon as have completed manuscript (I don’t like to send ARCs)
Ask for reviews
Reviewer 1
When requested & response


Reviewer 2, etc.



Upon launch

(Schedule earlier, prepare a promo page for the book with all relevant information)

 
Guest Posts
Blog name



Blog name



Interviews
Blog name



Blog name



Spotlights
Blog name



Blog name



Book Tour
Tour company



Tour company



2 weeks – 1 month after launch
Review Tour
Tour company
Keep track of number of reviews to determine if this is a company you want to use again


Tour company



1 – 2 months after launch (schedule as soon as have 10 reviews)
Email Newsletter Promo
Many books

Fussy Librarian

Etc.
Keep track of how many books sold for each promo to decide for yourself which email newsletter promos work the best for your book

Oh man, how annoyed are you that I haven’t included a list of reviewers and blogs? Sorry, but I didn’t exclude names to be a jerk. I haven’t included any reviewers or bloggers as my list is going to be different than your list. You need to find bloggers that not only specialize in your genre (romance, mystery, whatever) but with whom your style clicks. And once you connect with a reviewer or blogger, hold on to them and treasure that relationship!

When looking for those wonderful bloggers, don’t just send out those massive emails for review requests! If you need some hints, check out my blog article on how to request a review.

Blog tour companies also specialize in certain genres. Find an operator who is well known within the genre you write. Wondering how to do a blog tour? Check out my article on how to have a successful blog tour. The review tour is scheduled later than the release as I’m too impatient. I want to get my book out there as soon as possible after it’s ready, but bloggers need time to read. Most blog tour companies require a minimum of 6 weeks between the ARC being ready and the date of the blog tour.

And finally, it’s important to never stop learning and researching. I still read every article I come across on social media about book marketing. You never know what little gem you will find! Please feel free to share your marketing tips in the comments.